Make sure you organise your medical and insurance policies before you leave Germany...

Those in employment will have paid contributions to a health insurance fund. The employer or the employee should now contact the appropriate fund to de-register. These funds also deal with registration in the pension, unemployment and care schemes and will have provided employees with a medical card, a social security number and a social security insurance document (angestelltenversicherungnachweisheft).

Therefore it is important that they are notified of departure.

Those with particularly well-paid jobs may have been obliged to take out private medical cover, while others may have optionally chosen to do so. Any private health insurance cover which has been in force may need changing or cancelling now. Ensure that health insurance remains valid until arrival in the new country of residence or continues as appropriate.

Those who have made contributions to a pension fund (state and/or private), should inquire about the possibility of transferring benefits as well as provide a forwarding address. EU citizens can normally transfer benefits between countries quite simply.

For more information, see the German Institute for Pension Insurance (Bundesversicherungsanstalt): Click here (in German)

Anyone who has been in receipt of other social security benefits, such as Unemployment Benefit (Arbeitslosengeld) or Child Benefit, must notify the authorities that they are leaving. Contact the local employment office (Arbeitsagentur) or the social offices (Sozial Ämter) of the city or town council before departure.